


The Language of Flowers

by disasterboy



Series: red carnation [1]
Category: My Chemical Romance, Panic! at the Disco, The Young Veins
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ghosts, M/M, jon's been a ghost for 60 years and hes lonely
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-17
Updated: 2016-08-17
Packaged: 2018-08-09 08:26:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7794583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/disasterboy/pseuds/disasterboy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Jonathan Walker was dead. Had been for fifty-eight years, actually. </i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Language of Flowers

**Author's Note:**

> hi, i'm back! this was originally posted on my livejournal account but i decided to post it (and its upcoming sequel) here as well!! i wrote this back in november of last year so please forgive my shitty writing (again)  
> [for the last bouquet, I combined the meaning of a single rose in full bloom and tea rose to make the meaning for the single tea rose]

Jonathan Walker was dead. Had been for fifty-eight years, actually. He could still remember that night in vivid technicolor; he was working at his job in a record store when a robber came in and demanded all their money, waving a gun around like a madman. His friend Tom- _God_ , how he missed Tom- was working the register, so while he was busy handing over the money Jon snuck into the back to call the police. Unfortunately, when the cops showed up and Jon came out of the back room, the robber shot him dead center in the forehead before he was taken away. The next thing he knew, he was hovering over his own dead body and watching Tom scream at nothing.

Jon sighed, bringing himself back to the present. He was currently sitting next to a display of CDs in a music store, watching idly as people passed by without so much as glancing his way. He wasn't bound to one single place anymore- the record store he died in was sold in the early 90's, and was taken out to put in a shopping mall- but he preferred to stick to the two places he was familiar with anyway. This music store, with Brendon behind the register most of the time, and the bookstore where Ryan worked had become like homes to him, almost. He visited the Starbucks Gerard and Mikey worked at, sometimes, but he was closer with Ryan and Brendon than the energetic cherry redhead and his quiet blonde-topped brother.

"You know, one of these days someone might be able to see you.", Brendon spoke, looking over at Jon from the stool he was sitting on. Brendon was one of the four people that had been able to see him so far in his afterlife, with Ryan, Gerard, and Mikey being the others. Jon snorted.

"In fifty-eight years, I've only had four people who could see me, and two of them are psychics who summon ghosts for a living while working at Starbucks on the side. I doubt it'll happen again for a while."

"Oh, don't be such a downer. Who knows, one day a fancy lady could come waltzing in, and when she asks for your name and you tell her that you're a ghost-"

"Okay, stop right there, Bren. First of all, why would a fancy lady be in here? And second of all, she wouldn't go near me because, hello, I'm kind of see through, even to people who _can_ see me."

"Whatever. All I'm saying is it's a complete possibility that someone other than the four of us could be able to see you.", Brendon mumbled, chewing on the end of a ballpoint pen. Just then, a man around Brendon's age came up to the register, clutching a pair of drumsticks in his hand.

"Hey, Spencer!", Brendon said, grinning at the boy. Spencer smiled back at Brendon as he placed the drumsticks on the counter.

"Hey, Bren."

"What happened this time? This is the third time you've been in here to buy drumsticks this month.", Brendon asked. Jon frowned; he must have been in while Jon was hanging out with Ryan. Spencer sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Brent threw the last pair into the river because I wouldn't help him cheat on his test."

"That's got to suck.", Jon said. Brendon nodded, letting Jon know that he had heard, but as he opened his mouth to reply to Spencer the boy in question turned to stare right at Jon.

"Who are you?", he asked. Jon could feel his eyes widen as he turned to look at Brendon, who mirrored his shocked expression, before moving his gaze back to Spencer.

"You can see me?", Jon whispered.

"Why wouldn't I-" Spencer's sentence abrutly cut off once he noticed that he could see the collection of CDs through Jon's chest. Without another word, he grabbed his drum sticks, gave Brendon the money, and quickly walked out the door.

"What did I tell you, Jonathan Jacob Walker! He saw you!", Brendon yelled. Jon rolled his eyes and stood up, despite Brendon's protests, before walking out the front door. Spencer was nowhere to be seen, much to his disappointment, so he decided he would go visit Ryan rather than listening to Brendon screaming "I told you so!" at him. It's not really a long walk from the music store to the Barnes and Noble where Ryan works, but to Jon it felt like years before he was finally through the front door. Ryan lifted his head from the book he was reading, nodded at Jon, and put his book down as Jon hopped on top of the counter.

"What's up, Jonny boy?", he asked.

"Someone else saw me today.", Jon answered truthfully. This drew Ryan's eyebrows up, and he looked at Jon over the tops of his sunglasses. How he did that, Jon has no idea; his sunglasses were some of the biggest he'd ever seen.

"Who was it?"

"Some kid named Spencer? Brendon seemed to know him." Ryan's eyebrows shot higher up his forehead, and Jon was momentarily worried they would fly off his face.

"Was he buying drumsticks?" After Jon nodded, Ryan let out a rushed breath. "Dude, I hate to break it to you, but Spence's kind of my best friend."

"Well, this just got a whole lot easier.", Jon mumbled sarcastically.

"Made what easier?", Ryan asked. Jon didn't answer that.

"He kinda freaked out though. I mean, when he realized I was see-through he just... grabbed his drumsticks and left without a word. And why haven't I seen him around more often if he's your best friend?", he said, picking up his book and looking at the front cover.

"Jane Austen? Really, Ross?"

"Hey, shut up. I enjoy her writing.", Ryan snapped, snatching _Emma_ back from Jon. Jon snorted, moving so he was laying on his back on the cool granite. "And he's busy working all day, just like all of us non-ghosts. Knowing Spencer, he's probably doing research on ghosts and stuff right now, though. He always was freaked out about the supernatural. I tried telling him about you when I first saw you, and he refused to talk to me for a month afterwards until I promised not to bring it up again."

"Huh. Odd."

"I know. He's probably gonna torch your bones or something once he finds out how to online.", the taller male said just as a young girl and her mother came up to the counter, clutching several children's books. Jon sat up once the girl retracted her arms and dangled his legs off the side of the counter while Ryan rang up the books.

"Have a nice day." Ryan said once they had started walking towards the door. He turned to Jon once they were out of ear shot.

"That's not a very comforting idea, having my bones torched by a kid fresh out of high school."

"I'll stop him if he does try that. You know, ghosts only show up when they have unfinished business, or something like that, from their life. And they can supposedly only make themselves appear to whoever they want to be seen by, or by psychics who have a thing for hair dye.", Ryan pointed out. Jon sighed dramatically as he laid himself down again.

"I told you, I don't have any "unfinished business". The robber that killed me died in jail. Tom's still alive, age 83 with two children and six grandkids, and one great-grandchild on the way. The record store I worked at was demolished, and that's why I'm roaming around freely now, so any unfinished business there can't be finished. I didn't have a wife, or kids, or anything, although Tom was always trying to get me together with his gay friends-"

"Maybe that's it? Maybe you just need to find love?", Ryan interrupted. Jon laughed at the thought, curling in on himself and clutching his stomach, already forgetting the second part of his statement.

"Yeah, like true love is going to put me to rest. You read too many romance novels, Ry.", he wheezed. After a while of silence, Ryan announced to his manager that he was going on break, and he and Jon headed out the front door.

"I'm in the mood for some coffee. What about you, Walker?"

"You're killing me here, Ross, really.", Jon deadpanned. Ryan let out a small laugh while they walked. Ryan's face was quickly turning pink in the cold October wind, and he tightened his scarf around his neck before shoving his hands deep into his pockets. Jon, who had been wearing flip-flops and shorts when he died, was simply thankful that he couldn't feel the cold anymore.

"Hey, Ryan! Hey, Jon!", Gerard called out as the duo stepped into the warm interior of Starbucks. Jon could smell pumpkin in the air as he saw Mikey's head moving around behind Gee.

"The usual?", Gerard asked once they approached the counter.

"Yes please. And a cupcake for Jon here.", Ryan said. "I don't think he's eaten much today." This had Gerard laughing, and Mikey let out a loud snort as he handed a drink to a woman. The woman eyed the quartet- trio, from her eyes- weirdly as she left.

"Keep laughing, Mr. "My Legs Are Thinner Than Twigs".", Jon sighed as Gee moved to make Ryan's drink. Mikey moved to take his place at the register. Since the shop was nearly deserted, with only a young teenager with headphones on left, the taller of the two brothers leaned forward and jabbed a finger at Jon.

"Something tells me something big just happened.", he spoke. "What is it?"

"Spencer managed to see Jon.", Ryan spoke.

"Wow, Spencer Smith? Really? That's, what, five people now?", Gerard asked.

"Yep. The thing is, Spencer kind of freaked out about it, and now I'm worried he's gonna pull some crazy stunt, or do some research and try to torch Jon's bones or something."

"That is not good. We'd miss our favorite little Jon."

"Michael Way, just because I'm smaller than you does not give you the right to call me little, thank you."

"Yeah, he's not little at all, Mikes. Compare him to Frank.", Gerard spoke up. Mikey rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, we still need to stop Spencer from torching your bones.", he said.

"Torching who's bones?", a small voice asked. Four heads turned to find one Brendon Urie standing behind Jon and Ryan.

"Ryan's convinced that Spencer's going to burn my bones to get rid of me.", Jon answered. Brendon raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I don't know about torching your bones, but Spencer did come find me and asked me to tell you to leave him alone."

"Wow, that's rude.", Jon snorted, crossing his arms.

"It's nothing personal, but he just needs time to actually calm down.", Brendon amended. Silence fell over the small space, and the only time someone moved was when the teenage girl stood up and left.

"He better not show up at my house in the middle of the night again.", Ryan muttered, finally breaking the silence. He took a long sip of his coffee and eyed everyone around him. "What? He always breaks in whenever something freaks him out." Ryan then announced that his break was over, and he'll talk to Spencer, ok ok, goodbye, before rushing out the door. Brendon looked after him long after he had vanished from sight.

"Bren, you're doing nothing but hurting yourself.", Gerard said. Brendon only sighed.

"You need to tell him. Sooner or later, he'll find someone else.", Jon added. Mikey reached out and rested a hand on Brendon's shoulder.

"I'll tell him soon enough, I promise. Anyway, my break just ended, so I better get back. You coming, Jon?", Brendon asked, pointedly ignoring Gerard's sigh of disappointment.

"Yeah, sure. Bye guys!", Jon said, turning and waving at Mikey and Gerard as he and Brendon walked out the door.

* * *

The next few days went by as usual. Jon would lounge around the usual stores, making small talk with Ryan and Brendon, and sometimes helping them out when nobody else was around. They stopped at Starbucks nearly every day during Ryan and Brendon's breaks, and then Brendon, Ryan, Gerard, and Mikey went home and left Jon alone. He'd grown used to it, really. He would return to where he was buried and rest against the headboard until the start of his friends' shifts. It did get a little lonely, but he had spent most of his afterlife on his own. _You're going to have to get used to being alone again soon_ , the little voice in the back of his head reminded him, _because even when your friends die, they may never become ghosts_. Jon mostly ignored that voice, even if it was the voice of reason.

On Thursday, however, Spencer was back. Jon had mostly forgotten about the strange boy, what with helping Brendon with his plan to tell Ryan how he felt (which was ridiculous, really- who needs a fully detailed plan to tell somebody that you're in love with them?), so it was sort of a shock when Spencer showed up at the Barnes and Noble during Ryan's shift. Spencer proceeded to hop up on the counter, much like Jon usually did, and stared at Ryan until Ryan finally spoke up. He hadn't seemed to notice Jon yet, who was sitting on the floor by Ryan's feet, so the ghost remained silent as Ryan talked.

"I thought you had to work."

"They gave me the day off."

"Then why aren't you at home napping? You're always complaining about how little sleep you get."

"Is it a crime to visit my best friend sometimes?", Spencer asked innocently. Ryan let out an overdramatic sigh before changing the subject.

"You know, Jon's been pretty hurt that you want him to stay away from you.", Ryan said. His tone was so nonchalant that Jon might have otherwise believed that the subject change was a coincidence, but it probably wasn't, considering Ryan shot him a look when Spencer closed his eyes and sighed.

"He's only been able to be seen by, like, five people in the whole span of his afterlife. You know that, right?", Ryan asked when Spencer didn't reply. "And now he thinks you're gonna avoid him just because he's a ghost."

"Well, I am kind of avoiding him, but only until I manage to wrap my head around this whole ghost thing."

"He's not gonna hurt you or anything. He's a sweet guy, really laid back, and the most he would do to bother you is take your book from your hands or maybe throw a couple of puns at you."

"I didn't say I was afraid of him, Ryan. It's just... Okay, maybe I am kind of scared of him. But it's a rational fear!"

"You're afraid of a guy wearing flip-flops?"

"Alright, that's enough. I'll call you later, and you better not bring Jon up again for a while.", Spencer snapped, hopping off the counter and walking out the door. As Jon stood up, Ryan let out a sigh.

"He can be an idiot sometimes. Don't take it personally, he's just freaked out because you're a ghost."

* * *

When Jon showed up at Brendon's house after the music store closed, he found Brendon in the living room, wrapping a bouquet of flowers with a red ribbon. This had been his plan; to give Ryan a bouquet of flowers and a list of what each flower meant, and pray that Ryan understood the message. Jon had managed to talk Brendon out of the horse-drawn carriage (by some act of God, he knew) as well as the pound-and-a-half chocolate sculpture of Ryan's head (the idea of which creeped Jon out, and was sure to scare Ryan too). In the end, they had sat around Brendon's computer after work had ended and researched the meanings for several flowers before designing a bouquet.

This was how Jon ended up delivering the bouquet of pink camellias (longing for you), gloxinia (love at first sight), forget-me-nots (true love), and of course, the single red rose in the center (I love you) to Ryan's doorstep. There was a note nestled in between the rose and a camellia containing the lost of meanings and Brendon's name. Gerard had squealed when Brendon had told him, and even Mikey had given Brendon a thumbs up. Which, coming from Mikey, usually meant it was _the best idea ever_. Jon carefully placed the bouquet on Ryan's front steps before ringing the doorbell and moving to hide in the bushes, listening to Ryan's dog Hobo bark loudly and Ryan's cat hiss at the dog. Vaguely, Jon remembered his two cats- Clover and Dylan- that he had had when he was alive. The door opened, however, effectively derailing Jon's rather sad train of thought as Ryan stepped out onto the porch. He frowned when he spotted the flowers, picking them up and taking them back inside with him.

"And now we wait.", Jon said. He stepped out of the bush and started walking back towards Brendon's house. He froze, however, when he noticed Spencer walking up the sidewalk. They both stared at each other for a while before Spencer coughed.

"What are you doing here?"

"Promise not to tell Ryan?", Jon asked. Spencer raised an eyebrow but nodded anyway.

"Okay, so, Brendon's had a crush on Ryan ever since they've met- but you probably knew that- so I helped Brendon make the first move by bringing Ryan a bouquet of flowers from Brendon."

"Wow. That sounds nothing like what Brendon would normally do. How did you manage to talk him into it?"

"I had to talk him _out_ of the horse-drawn carriage and the chocolate sculpture of Ryan's head first, but believe it or not he came up with this one mostly by himself. He saw something about the language of flowers and decided to give it a try.", Jon explained. Spencer blinked several times before speaking again.

"I was kind of expecting Ryan to make the first move, but I guess I was wrong. God, you have no idea how hard it was watching those two constantly pining over each other but at the same time do nothing about it. It drives you crazy after a while."

"I bet. So, wait, you're telling me Ryan likes Brendon back?"

"Yep. Most definitely. Look, I-", Spencer said, but as he went to continue Jon caught sight of Ryan getting up from his seat at the kitchen table and make his way to the door.

"Shit, I gotta go. See you later!", Jon whispered, diving back into the bush a mere thirty seconds before Ryan opened the door, leaving Spencer holding back laughter.

"Hey, Spence. I didn't know you were coming.", Ryan said once he caught sight of Spencer at the end of his driveway.

"Yeah, I wanted to apologize about snapping at you earlier. Jon's a cool guy, even if he is a ghost, and you were just trying to defend him.", Spencer explained.

"Oh. Well, that's great, I guess. Listen, I need you to come inside and help me with something.", Ryan said, dragging Spencer towards the door. Spencer, however, stopped both of them when they reached the door.

"Could you tell Jon that I'm sorry for being an ass when you see him tomorrow? I have to work, and I would tell him myself, but...", Spencer said rather loudly, and Jon knew that he was indirectly speaking to him too.

"Yeah, yeah, of course I will. Now come on, you're never going to believe what just happened."

* * *

By the time Ryan's shift ended on Friday, he was practically vibrating with both nervousness and excitement, much to Jon's amusement.

"Chill out, Ry. It's not like he's gonna say no.", Jon said, lounging upside-down on Ryan's bed and watching as Ryan pulled on a pair of black slacks.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Oh, by the way, Spencer said-"

"I know what Spencer said. I was in the bushes because Brendon was too cowardly to bring you flowers in person.", Jon admitted. Ryan stared at him for a few seconds before sighing and turning back to his closet.

"Unbelievable.", he muttered, but Jon could clearly see the smile that took up most of Ryan's face.

"You should smile more. Maybe the reason Brendon hasn't made a move until now is the fact that you creep him out with your constant bitch face.", Jon teased.

"At least I'm not see-through."

"Low blow, Ross, low blow." Ryan laughed- actually _laughed_ , much to Jon's surprise- before holding up two vests for Jon to see.

"Which one?", Ryan asks.

"I like the rose one. It goes better with your pants, and the whole 'getting-together-with-flowers' theme.", the ghost answered. "And you better hurry up, Brendon's shift ends in fifteen minutes, and it takes ten minutes to drive there. Plus your reservation's in an hour, and if-"

"Shit! Shit, Jon, grab the note off the bed!", Ryan yelled, throwing on the vest and a pair of shoes before sprinting downstairs. Jon rolled his eyes, grabbed the note, and ran after Ryan. He stopped to grab Ryan's car keys, which his friend dutifully forgot on the kitchen table, and walked right through the door. Ryan was already in his car with the bouquet of flowers in his lap, and Jon claimed the front seat and tossed the keys to him.

"You're a life saver, Walker.", Ryan said, letting out a breath of relief before starting the car. As the pair rode smoothly along the road towards their destination, Jon opened up the note and read it aloud.

"Ambrosia; your love is reciprocated. Arbutus; thee only do I love. Magenta zinnias; lasting affection. White violets; let's take a chance on happiness. Yellow tulips; there's sunshine in your smile.", he read. "Ryan, this is beautiful. A little poetic and cliche, sure, but still beautiful."

"Do you think he'll like it?"

"Of course he will.", Jon answered. By then they had pulled into the parking lot in front of Brendon's music store, so Jon placed the note in the middle of the bouquet.

"How do I look?", Ryan asked, turning to Jon. Jon stood still for a moment before reaching out and straightening his tie.

"There. Honestly, Ross, you'd think you're proposing to the man, not asking him on a date. Now go, you only have five minutes!" Ryan nodded before turning and nearly sprinting towards the front doors, Jon right on his heels. When Ryan swung the door open with one hand, the other clutching the bouquet behind his back, Brendon was busy frowning over something on the counter. Spencer, who was sitting next to Brendon on top of a small amp, noticed Ryan first. He elbowed Brendon, and when Brendon turned to look at him the blue-eyed man pointed over to the front door. Brendon's eyes went wide and a dusting of pink appeared on his cheeks and neck.

"Ryan. Uh, aren't you supposed to be at work?"

"Pete let me go early.", Ryan answered. He took a few steps forward until he was standing right in front of Brendon.

"I got your flowers, and I got you some, too.", he said. He then took his hand out from behind his back and handed the bouquet to Brendon, who stared down at them with wonder.

"They're not wilted, so I guess that's a good sign.", the smaller man commented. Brendon took out the note, reading over the flowers' meanings, before looking up at Ryan with tears in his eyes. Jon stepped next to Spencer as Brendon nearly launched himself at Ryan, throwing both arms around his neck before dragging him into a hug across the counter.

"It's about damn time.", Spencer commented. Jon nodded in agreement while Ryan rolled his eyes as Brendon dragged him closer for a kiss. Both Jon and Spencer let out cat calls, and Brendon had to break away because he was laughing too hard.

"Okay, seriously Urie, go take your boyfriend on a proper date and stop making out in my store.", Brendon's boss, Patrick, spoke. He was smiling though, so it wasn't hard to guess that Brendon wasn't really in trouble. Ryan grabbed Brendon's free hand and nearly dragged him out of the door, Jon and Spencer following slowly behind.

"I, uh, made reservations at that fancy Italian restaurant you like. If that's okay with you, you know. We don't have to-", Ryan said, but Brendon quickly cut him off with another kiss.

"That sounds great. Let me go home first, and I'll meet you there, okay?", Brendon reassured. Ryan nodded, planting a kiss on Brendon's cheek before Brendon quickly ran off to his car.

"We're going to get tired of seeing them making out really quickly, aren't we?", Jon asked, turning to look at Spencer, who nodded.

"Probably, yeah."

* * *

"Did you have a girlfriend when you died? A wife, or kids, maybe?", Spencer asked, turning to look at Jon. The two were sprawled out on Spencer's bed, laying side by side and conversing in mainly small talk. They had grown closer ever since Brendon and Ryan had gotten together two weeks ago, if only to avoid the makeout sessions at first, but since Spencer worked as a waiter in a restaurant they usually hung out at Spencer's house after his shift ended instead of during the day. Jon shifted so he was laying on his side, looking directly at Spencer.

"Nope, I was single. The only girlfriend I've ever had was Cindy Allen in second grade, but she poured grape juice on me when I refused to kiss her or hold her hand and left me for Jimmy Brown. I didn't like girls much after that.", Jon replied. Spencer grunted in response before asking another question.

"What about boyfriends?"

"Spencer, I grew up in an era where it wasn't exactly safe to be gay.", Jon said. "But yeah, I had a few. I never stayed with them for long, though, before they broke up with me, claiming that 'it was best for our safety if we stop'."

"That's got to suck for you. But hey, we're not in the fifties anymore. Being gay is okay.", Spencer said. Jon laughed.

"In case you haven't noticed, Spencer, it's kind of hard to find love when you're see-through and only five people know you exist."

"Who knows? Maybe you'll find another ghost one of these days."

"Fat chance, Spence.", Jon sighed. He turned away from Spencer's questioning stare to look up at the ceiling again, resuming his old position lying on his back.

"How'd you die, anyway?", Spencer asked, obviously changing the subject.

"Shot in the forehead during a robbery.", Jon answered. Spencer hummed to acknowledge his answer, looking back up at the ceiling.

"You know, Gerard's dating a ghost."

"He is? He never mentioned that to me before.", Jon perked up, turning to look at Spencer again. His new friend nodded.

"Well, they were dating before he died and Gerard brought him along to Chicago with him. His name is Frank, and he was born in Italy but lived in New Jersey for most of his life. He died, like, two or three years ago, right when Gerard was going to propose to him. He's covered from head to toe in tattoos and piercings, it's kind of hard to miss him.", Spencer said. "I can't see him, but Gerard and Mikey, plus Mikey's boyfriend Ray, can. I only know what he looks like because Gerard described him to me."

"That's... wow, they're actually dating?", Jon said.

"Yep. They can't hold hands or kiss in public, obviously, but they make it work." Nothing else was said between them, and when Jon looked over again Spencer had fallen asleep. Sighing, Jon got up and began the journey back to his gravestone.

* * *

Brendon wasn't at work the next day. Jon waited around the music store until well after one in the afternoon, nearly three hours after he was supposed to show up, before giving up and heading over to bother Ryan instead. But instead of walking in to the usual sight of the couple kissing over the cash register, he found Joe, one of Ryan's coworkers, at the register instead, chatting to a man with a hefty amount of tattoos and a kick-ass beard.

"Off to Starbucks, then.", Jon mumbled to himself, walking through the door again. His next stop would have been to find Spencer, except Spencer never told him where he worked, and Jon didn't really feel like peeking through every single restaurant in the city of Chicago. When he finally reached the doors to Starbucks, Mikey was nowhere to be seen (but Jon could hear him moving things around in the back room), and a new boy was perched on the counter, swinging his feet and watching Gerard work. He was see-through, and what skin wasn't covered up by his shirt was covered in mostly transparent tattoos. Jon was sure he could make out several piercings as well, and with a shock he realized that this must be Frank. When he reached the register, Frank looked over at him, and Jon saw his eyes widen when he took in his see-through, bearded self.

"Hey, Gee, why didn't you tell me there was another ghost in town?", Frank asked, turning back around to stare at his boyfriend.

"What? Oh, hey Jon.", the redhead greeted, looking up from restocking the pastries. "Frank, this is Jon. He's a friend of Spencer's. And Jon, this is Frank. We were dating when he died."

"Spencer told me about you.", Jon said, holding out his hand for a handshake. Instead of accepting it, though, Frank hopped off the counter and gave Jon a big hug. It was weird, almost, completely different from being touched by humans, and he was pleasantly surprised. Jon hugged him back just as tightly, much to Frank's surprise. Jon hadn't realized how touched starved he truly was until now.

"Hey, Walker. Hands off my boyfriend.", Gerard spoke up, tone clearly teasing, as the two ghosts broke apart. His smile faded, though, as Gerard studied Jon's face.

"Something tells me this isn't just a casual visit, though."

"Sorry, it's really not. I haven't seen either Brendon or Ryan all day today, and I was wondering if you knew where they were?", Jon asked.

"I don't know, but I could-", Gerard said. He was cut off by his cell phone ringing in his pocket, though, and when he pulled it out Jon could clearly read "Ryan Ross" on the screen.

"Ryan, what's up? Why aren't you at work, dude?", Gerard asked once the phone was placed next to his ear. Jon couldn't hear Ryan's reply, but by the way Gerard's eyes widened he could tell that it wasn't good.

"Yeah, we'll be right there.", he said before hanging up. He moved his wide eyes to look up at Jon.

"What-"

"Spencer's in the hospital."

* * *

Spencer woke up to a blinding white light. Sitting up, he noticed the heart monitors and machines next to his bed, and the voices drifting towards him from the other side of the curtains, one of which was achingly familiar.

"He was in a car accident this morning on his way to work.", Brendon said. He sounded like he had been crying.

"Is he gonna be okay?", Jon's voice rang out. Spencer was surprised at the heavy amount of concern in his voice.

"I sure hope so.", Ryan replied. He could see their silhouettes moving about, and he swung his feet over the side of the bed and walked out to face his friends

"Of course I'm okay. What the fuck are you talking about?", he asked. Jon, who was facing away from him, whipped around to stare at him.

"What the hell?", he whispered. The other five turned to look at Spencer, with mixed reactions from Brendon's face lighting up to Ryan's look of horror.

"What?", he asked, looking around at the sea of faces. It was then that he noticed another smaller man by Gerard's side, tucked under his arm, and see-through just like Jon. Judging by the tattoos and the piercings he must be Frank.

"Hey, I can see Frank now!", Spencer cried. Silence followed his statement for a few seconds, with the six of them having a silent conversation with facial expressions alone. Ryan and Brendon looked more confused than anything- probably because they couldn't see Frank, Spencer remembered.

"Spencer, I hate to break it to you, but the only way you could see Frank is if you're a ghost yourself, since you couldn't see him before.", Mikey finally said.

"What? But I'm not dead.", Spencer said, holding up his hands to his face. "See, my hands aren't-" He cut himself off, however, when he noticed that his hands _were_ , in fact, see-through. He looked back at the bed, and he was shocked to find his own body lying motionless there.

"Holy shit. Holy _shit_. I can't be dead, I can't!", he screeched.

"Spencer, calm down, okay?", Jon said, reaching out a hand and placing it on Spencer's shoulder. "You're not dead; I can hear the heart monitor still beeping."

"But then how am I-"

"There are some rare cases that when someone goes into a coma, they become a ghost until their body wakes up.", Gerard said. "It happened to our friend Bob once, when he went into a coma for two years before waking back up."

"So, I'm not dead?", he asked. Gerard shook his head.

"Not completely, no. The good news is that you're not tied down to one place like most ghosts!", Gee said, bringing a smile to Spencer's face.

"And I can hug you properly now!", Jon beamed, wrapping his arms around Spencer for the first time. Spencer stiffened in Jon's arms before returning the hug, burying his face into Jon's neck. He could feel Jon's fingers twirling around in his hair, and he only hugged him harder.

"That's a lot of hugging going on.", Ryan said while Brendon giggled quietly to himself.

"Anyway, we better get out of here before people start to wonder why we're talking to thin air.", Mikey suggested. Jon released Spencer, smiling widely, before following their friends outside of the hospital doors.

* * *

"So, what do we do next?", Ryan asked. It was Christmas Eve, and everyone had been given the next day off. It had been several weeks since Spencer had been admitted into the hospital, and while he still hasn't woken up from his coma he continued to interact with his friends like nothing had happened.

"We can go egg someone's house."

"Frank, we aren't egging anyone's house the night before Christmas."

"Why are you such a killjoy, Gee?", Frank pouted. Gerard laughed, kissing the top of Frank's head as an apology. After the seven of them had left the hospital, Gerard and Mikey "pulled some psychic shit" (as Ryan lovingly put it), and now, somehow, Ryan and Brendon were able to see Frank. Jon wasn't sure what they did exactly, but it seemed to work.

"We could sing Christmas carols.", Brendon suggested. Spencer snorted.

"Nice try, Bren, but no. I'm pretty sure people don't want to be woken up by Jon's horrid singing."

"Damn it.", Brendon cursed. Jon punched Spencer in the arm, which really didn't do much except make Spencer laugh.

"Why don't we all just hole up in someone's house and watch Christmas movies all night long?", Ryan asked.

"Sounds like a plan, Ross.", Jon agreed, stretching his arms above his head and screwing his eyes shut as he walked. When he opened his eyes again, he caught sight of Spencer staring at him out of the corner of his eye, and he winked in the taller male's direction. Spencer quickly looked away, crossing his arms while Jon laughed.

"Alright, but whose house should we go to?", Mikey asked.

"I vote Brendon's; he's got the best collection of movies.", Spencer said.

"Yeah, but they're all Disney movies.", Ryan pointed out.

"What have you got against Disney, Ry?", Brendon pouted, moving his head to rest against his boyfriend's shoulder. Ryan lifted his arm and draped it over Brendon's shoulders, dragging him closer and placing a kiss into his hair.

"Nothing, really. It's just that we're gonna end up watching _The Little Mermaid_ again."

"Hey, that movie is amazing, shut up." Ryan only rolled his eyes in response.

"So, Brendon's house it is.", Jon said. Everyone more or less agreed, and the rest of the trip was spent in comfortable silence. When they reached the front door, Brendon detached himself from Ryan's side to unlock the door, pushing it open and letting everyone in. At once, they all piled onto the furniture in the living room, with Frank snuggled up in Gerard's lap, Ryan and Brendon sitting together without an inch of space left between them, and Mikey claiming the only remaining armchair for himself. Spencer sat down on the opposite end of the couch that Ryan and Brendon were on, which left Jon to sit in between them.

"Oh, wait! I'll bake cookies for all of us!", Brendon said suddenly, hopping up from his place with Ryan and dashing off towards the kitchen.

"I better go stop him from burning down the house again.", Ryan mumbled, following after Brendon, who could be heard taking out various pots and pans with loud crashes.

"We'll pick out the movie, then.", Frank said, pulling Gerard up off the chair with him and dragging his rather sleepy-looking boyfriend with him over to Brendon's movie collection. Mikey followed behind them, probably to _pick_ out a movie while they were _making_ out, which left Spencer and Jon alone. A somewhat awkward silence envelops them as they listen to Ryan and Brendon arguing in the kitchen about ingredients.

"What movie do you think they're going to pick out?", Spencer asks suddenly, making an attempt at conversation. Jon could see that he was tense, but he had no idea why, unless he was still freaking out over being a ghost.

"I have no idea. Maybe _The Nightmare Before Christmas_?", Jon replied.

"Probably. We're also going to end up watching _The Little Mermaid_ , too, because no one can resist Brendon's puppy dog eyes." Jon laughed at this, because it was true; once Brendon pulled out the puppy dog eyes and the pout, everyone (especially Ryan) turned to putty in his hands.

"Yeah, Brendon's face is pretty powerful like that.", he said.

"You'd think that after seventeen years of being his friend, I'd be immune to it, but apparently not.", Spencer sighed. Jon turned to look at him while he stared off into space, probably lost in thought.

"You never really told me about your past. I told you about mine, so now it's your turn, Spice." Spencer sighed once more, running his hand over his face and scratching at the stubble on his chin before speaking.

"Brendon, Ryan, and I are originally from Vegas. We would get into so much trouble together. The three of us were basically the biggest little shits in town until Brendon's parents banned him from seeing us again. They pulled him out of public school and put him in a Mormon private school, so it was just Ryan and I for a while. Ryan would stay at my house most of the time, only going home once in a while, since his father was an alcoholic and he yelled at Ryan for everything. He wrote poetry to try and distract himself while he was home, and it was really good. We tried to start a band, but it didn't go anywhere. One day, though, Brendon showed up at my house and told us that he had come out to his parents as gay and they had kicked him out. So, the three of us fled to Chicago.", he said. Spencer paused before continuing on. "I still talk to my mom, and she understands why I left; Ryan and Brendon are family too, and you don't just let your family move across the country on their own. I was going to go out and visit her tomorrow, to say hi to my little brother, but I can't do that now, apparently." Jon stared at Spencer long after he had finished speaking, and he placed his translucent hand on top of Spencer's on an impulse. Spencer gripped Jon's hand back, twisting their fingers together.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, Jon. When I wake up, I'll get to see them again, right?"

"Yeah, of course.", Jon answered. None of them voiced the fact that Spencer may never wake up at all. Soon, Ryan and Brendon came back in, flour all over their hair and clothes, as soon as Mikey strolled in from the other room, Gerard strung up over his shoulders and Frank following behind. Ryan raised an eyebrow at the pair of ghosts on the couch before sitting down and dragging Brendon down on top of him.

"Seems like Mikey's the only one without a boyfriend to cuddle with.", Ryan jibed. Jon raised an eyebrow, because _hello, he and Spencer are single_ , but then he remembered their intertwined fingers and quickly detached his hand and placed it on his thigh. Brendon laughed when Spencer moved his gaze down to his feet. Mikey got up, pulling out his cell phone and mumbling about inviting Ray over.

"Is there something you guys aren't telling us?", Frank asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively from his place on Gerard's lap.

"That's it.", Spencer snapped, standing up and walking away.

"Nice going, guys.", Jon said. He stood up and quickly followed Spencer, purposefully ignoring Frank's wolf whistle and Ryan's whispered "What was that about?". When Jon found Spencer, he was laying in the middle of Brendon's bed. Jon moved to lay down next to him, staring up at the ceiling in the silence.

"They were right, you know.", Spencer said after a few moments.

"Right about what?", Jon asked. Instead of giving him a verbal reply, Spencer leaned over, hovering over Jon for a second before leaning down and sealing their lips together. He pulled back before Jon could retaliate, though, and mumbled an apology. Jon was shocked into silence, touching his lips before Spencer laughed bitterly.

"How weird is this? I mean, I get a crush on a ghost, and-", Spencer began, but his eyes widened halfway through his sentence as he stared at Jon. "Holy shit, Jon, you're glowing."

"I am?", Jon asked. He lifted a hand in front of his face, but he was no longer met with translucent, grey hands. Instead, glowing, fleshy hands met his line of vision. Suddenly, something tugged at Jon, deep within his chest, and he knew what was happening.

"I'm moving on.", he whispered.

"What?"

"I'm moving on. I'm... Son of a bitch, Ryan was right.", he repeated.

"Right about what? What's going on?", Spencer asked. Jon noticed that his hands were fading fast, so he reached out and grabbed Spencer's face in his hands, dragging him closer and kissing him properly. Once he broke away, Spencer looked like he was about to cry, clinging onto Jon's bicep for dear life.

"Will I ever see you again?", Spencer asked.

"Maybe, in the afterlife. But I don't want to see you for another fifty years, at least.", Jon answered. "Tell the others I said goodbye, okay?" Spencer nodded, see-through tears streaming down his face. Jon's voice sounded weak in his own ears, and he knew he had a matter of seconds left.

"I love you, Spencer Smith."

* * *

"I love you, Spencer Smith.", Jon whispered before he faded out of sight completely. Spencer closed his eyes to try and prevent the tears from falling, but when he opened them he was in a completely different room. He heard the beeping of heart monitors and smelled the somewhat familiar scent of chemicals in the air, and with a jolt he realized that he was back in his own body.

"Hey, he's awake!", someone yelled as he sat up, blinking back tears. The nurse that was in the room appeared at his side, hovering in front of him.

"Mr. Smith? Is there someone we can call for you?", she asked. Spencer nodded, listing off Ryan's name and phone number.

"Okay, don't worry. You'll be out of here in a few minutes. We need to check your vital signs and give you crutches for your broken leg, then you can go home.", the nurse said. "You're lucky, you know, waking up after a couple of weeks. Most people are asleep for months, years even." Weakly, Spencer nodded, letting the nurse poke and prod him until Ryan walked in. He took one look at Spencer's tear-stained face and tackled him into a hug, letting Spencer cry into his shoulder. He passed him off to Brendon while Ryan took care of the paperwork to get him released.

"What the heck happened? You and Jon disappear and suddenly Jon's nowhere in the house and I get a call saying that you're awake.", Ryan asks once they're all safely outside the hospital doors. Spencer shifted uncomfortably on his crutches, hobbling along in between Mikey and Ryan.

"Jon moved on. He mentioned something about you being right? But, we kissed, and I admitted that I loved him, and then he faded away. He said goodbye, by the way."

"What did he mean, about you being right?", Brendon asked, turning to look at Ryan. Ryan's eyes widened suddenly.

"The day when Spencer first met Jon, he came into the store and told me about it. We were wondering why he was a ghost, and he was talking about how his friend Tom was always trying to set him up with his gay friends, but he never really found love. I was joking around, and I suggested that maybe he had to find love before he could move on. He... He laughed at me, said I read too many romance novels.", Ryan explained, and suddenly Spencer felt that much more guilty about avoiding Jon at first. Silence settled over the small group until Brendon, as usual, broke it.

"Do you think he's in heaven?"

"I know so, Bren.", Spencer replied. "And we'll see him again soon enough."

* * *

The next morning, Spencer asked Ryan to drive him to the graveyard by the old church, the one that hasn't been used since the fifties. It was easy enough to find the headstone, a simple gray slab with "Jonathan Jacob Walker" written on the front. There were a few words engraved below his name- Tom wrote them, Jon had said- as well as his birth and death dates.

"He used to come here every night, you know. He'd stay here until we started our shifts in the morning.", Ryan said. "We told him he could stay at one of our houses, but he still said no and kept coming back." Spencer remained silent, staring down at the earth packed over Jon's dead body.

"You'll see him soon enough, Spence. Fifty years is only a short time compared to-"

"-the grand scheme of things, yadda yadda yadda. Just be quiet, you nerd.", Spencer interrupted. Ryan sighed dramatically, but took the bouquet of flowers from Spencer's outstretched hand and placed them on the grave.

"Thanks for helping me pick out the flowers, by the way."

"Anything for you, Spencer.", Ryan replied, leaning down and putting the note next to the bundle of brightly colored flowers. The two friends stood side-by-side for a while longer, with Spencer silently crying and Ryan with a comforting arm around his shoulders, until Ryan mentioned that they should be heading back and they both left.

_Pink carnations; I'll never forget you_  
_Sweet peas; good-bye_  
_Cattails; peace_  
_Single tea rose; I'll remember; Always; I love you_  
  
_end_

_ _


End file.
